500 protest planned Port Authority cuts
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An estimated 500 opponents of impending Port Authority service cuts participated in a peaceful protest march and rally in Squirrel Hill today.
The permitted march, sponsored by Pittsburghers for Public Transit and members of Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, began at noon at Beacon Street and moved down the center of closed Murray Avenue to the intersection with Forbes Avenue.
About 300 people marched with another 200 supporters on the periphery, said Pittsburgh police Sgt. Cristyn Zett.
Pittsburgh police had prohibited parking on Murray and conducted rolling closures of intersection traffic as the march moved north.
At Forbes, the protestors gathered on the lawn of the Sixth Presbyterian Church as speaker after speaker used a bullhorn to deride the authority for its plan to cut service by 15 percent on March 27 because of inadequate funding. Twenty-nine routes will be eliminated.
At 1 p.m., the rally broke up with a thank you to Pittsburgh police officers and a promise to continue the protest Friday before the Port Authority's monthly board meeting at its Downtown headquarters at 9:30 a.m.
First Published March 19, 2011 2:29 pm
